Illuminating device for vehicles.



S. SUITS.

ILLUMINATING DEVICE FOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED FEB.14, 1910.

Patented June 6, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

S. SUITS.

ILLUMINATING DEVICE FOR VB HIGLES.

APPLIGATION FILED FEB.14, 1910.

g g Patented June 6,1911.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

FATE

"Id SUEZE, FF TEEWVARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNGR 0F ONE-HALF @0 PE"?ERASHEAR, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June Application filed February 14, 1910. Serial No. 543,714.

concern:

l e United States, residing in y of and State of New e invented anlmprovement in sting Devices for Vehicles, of WlllCil ascription, inconnection with shying drawin is a specifietters on the drawingsrepreoarts,

r so be capable of turning in stantially at right angles to the veinentof the vehicle, and which 1;: operatively connected with the the runninggear of the ve-. to he turned by the turning of ier hy the lam or deviceis l the path to he traveled turning of the body of on is applicable foruse on railway engines an l especially .t presents in plan view withany, a suilicient portion of an "svided with an. illuminating d torespond to the turning die front wheels of the vehicle. sine elevationof e parts shown in l 3, a detail in elevation and owing one method ormounting :hcwn' in Fig, 1., l to the drawing, a represents theiltflinfibll? any suitable, construction, Z; the hood, I carohlights orlamps coman located at the front le on opposite sides thereof. the pathor roadway to be d. the turns well. as in the )ortions or stretches, isthe object tion, and in the present instance ustrated oneari'an"'cniefitor conof apparatus for accomplishing 15 result. To thisend, each lamp or'light secured to a support which is rotatably orcited, so that the lamp or light a can turn in a plane substantially atright angles M 53-,

report referred. to is represented as the arms of, which -are proiallydisposed splndle or that I, SEYMOUR SUITS, a 1

lion has its object to pro- Licle mounted on wheels, with an ttingdevice, which is mounted on e path of movement of the vehicle.

stud 6, extended into a socket f in the upper end of a tapering plug orpin 9 and firmly secured therein bym cross pin it or 1111 any othersuitable manner. The tapering pivot for the yoke or or pin g constitutesa lamp support (Z and turns in a tapered socket i in the upper end of asocket piece or slee e 7c, which is preferably secured as by a screw mon a stud or post it fastened screws 0 or otherwise, to the frame a ofthe vehicle. The pivot pin 9 is locked against upward displacement byspanner lock nuts 10 located in the socket 12 in the lower part of thesleeve or socket pi ce is, and engaging a threaded extension 13 of saidpivot pin or plug 9.

Provision is made for rotating the pin or plug 9,.and in the presentinstance, T

its otherend to suitable mechanism, 'prej erably the steering mechanismfor the front wheels 20 of the vehicle.

In the presentinst-ance, the rod or arm 15 is shown as secured to a. rod21 forming part of the steering mechanism of the vehicle, whichmechanism may be of any suitable or well-known construction, said rodor'arin being connected to a lever 22, which is con nected with theknuckle arm 23 of one of the front wheels, and is also connected by thelinks 24, 25, 26, with. theknuckle arm 2'? of the other front wheel. Itwill thus he SP1 that when the front wheels 20 of the vehicle are turnedby operating the steering mechanism in the usual manner, the forked armor rod 15 is simultaneously moved so as to rotate the pivot pin or plug9 of one lump support in the sanio direction that tlie wheels 20 areturned, and by means of a Lin] 28 connecting the plate 19 of one lamppivot with the plate 1? of the lamp pivot on tho opposite side of thevehiclc boih lamps are simultaneously turned with the front wheels ofthe vehicle; and: the rays of light are pro jected in a direction at anangle to the length of the vehicle, and as a result, the roadway or pathabout to he traveled by vehicle is illuminated before the body ofvehicle enters the said path and assunio ill) parallel relation thereto.This is especially desirous, when the roadway contains curved or sharpturns, as for instance, when one street intersects another or makes asubstantially right angled turn.

The lights or lamps with which automobiles are now equipped, have afixed relation to the automobile, so that when the automobile istraveling on a curve in the road, the

light is projected off to one side of the road,

and the part of the road which the car is approaching or entering is butpoorly lighted, whereas with this invention, it be comes fully lightedwhile the car is making the curve or turn.

The advantage of mounting the lamps or lights so as to have a lateralmovement with relation to thevehicle body, is especially brought outwhen the vehicle travels from one street into a street runningsubstantially at right angles thereto, for in this case the street aboutto be entered can be illuminated when the front wheels are making theturn and while the body of the vehicle is substantially at right anglesto the street being entered.

It is preferred to automatically move the lights or lamps laterally withrelation to the car body through mechanism which is movable with orresponsive to the movement of the front wheels of the vehicle, but it isnot desired to limit the invention in this respect, as it is evidentthat the mechanism for moving the lamps may be disconnected from thefront wheels. It is preferred to have the steering mechanism connectedwith the lamps as by so doing, the apparatus is materially simplified. I

It may be preferred to use the pivotal construction shown in Figs. 2 and3, but it is not desired to limit the invention to the particularconstruction shown.

The invention is herein shown as embodied in an automobile, but it isnot desired to limit 'itin this respect, as it is also well adapted foruse on electric cars, railway engines and like vehicles.

In the present instance, I have shown the vehicle as provided with twolights located on opposite sides of the vehicle, but I, do not desire tolimit the invention in this respect as a single light centrally locatedchuld be used to advantage.

Claims,

1. The combination with an automgbile providedwith a front pair ofwheels capable of turning laterally with relation to the body of theautomobile, of a stud or post erected upon the frame of the automobile,a sleeve or sooketpiece secured to said post, a pivot pin or plugrotatably mounted in said socket piece above said post, means for securing said pivot pin or plug in said socket piece against upwarddisplacement, a yoke attached to said pivot pin or plug, a lamp securedto said yoke and means connected with the pivot pin or plug above saidpost for turning said pivot pin in its socket, substantially asdescribed.

2. The combination with an automobile provided with a front pair ofwheels capable of turning laterally with relation to the body of theautomobile, of a stud or post.

erected upon the frame of the automobile, a

sleeve or socket piece secured to said post and provided in its upperportion with a tapering socket, a tapering pivot pin or plug fitted intosaid tapering socket to turn therein above said post, means for securingsaid tapered pivot pin or plug in said tapering socket against upwarddisplacement, a yoke attached to said pivot pin or plug, a lamp se curedto said yoke, and means connected with said pivot pin for turning thesame in its socket, substantially as described.

3... The combination with an automobile proyided with a front pair ofwheels capable of turning laterally with. relation to the body of theautomobile, of a stud or post erected upon the frame of the automobile,a sleeve or socket piece secured to said post and provided in its upperportion with a tapering socket, a tapering pivot pin or plug fitted intosaid tapering socket to turn there- ,in above said post, a rod on thebottom of said pin or plug extended through the bottom wall of thetapered socket, means on' said rod cooperating with the bottom wall ofthe tapered socket to limit the upward movement of the tapered pin orplug in its socket, a yoke attached to said pivot pin or plug, a

lamp secured to said yoke, and means connected with the pivot pin orplug above said "post for turning aid pivot pin or plug in its socket,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification'in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

' SEYMOUR SUITS.

Witnesses:

JAs. H. CHURCHILL, J. MURPHY.

